NATURE. Polar Bear Invasion. Printable Page

Bear Trouble

In the 1600s, seafaring adventurers ventured into the frigid waters of eastern Canada's Hudson Bay looking for the fabled Northwest Passage to the riches of the Orient. Some of the European explorers sloshed ashore where the sweet waters of the broad Churchill River tumble into the bay's salty shoals, eager to set foot on the new world. But their quest for the Northwest Passage was largely in vain, and many died far from home.

These days, however, adventurers still flock to the Churchill River's banks -- with more satisfying results. They come to see the hundreds of polar bears that gather each autumn at the river's mouth, waiting for the bay to freeze so they can amble out on to the pack ice and hunt seals, their favorite meal. More than 15,000 tourists travel to the remote region each year to take in the spectacle.

This week, NATURE takes viewers to the "polar bear capital of the world" -- Churchill, Manitoba -- for a firsthand look at the POLAR BEAR INVASION. It is a wondrous and sometimes quirky look at a town where people are learning to coexist with the largest land predator on earth -- and the hordes of tourists who come to see them.

Churchill's dance with the bears in nothing new. Since the town was established in the 1700s as a fur trading post, residents have lived with the knowledge that their homes are directly in the path of the bears' annual migration. Each summer, the huge white carnivores wander the brushy tundra without eating, burning off fat reserves built up over the winter. Then, come fall, they head toward the bay, following the Churchill River's banks toward salt water. By October, they have gathered on the outskirts of town, waiting for cold weather to ice up the bay. By November, the waiting bears typically outnumber the town's 1,000 residents.

Once, the annual arrival of the bears meant trouble. The huge animals, which weigh up to a ton and can reach a dozen feet tall when they stand on their hind legs, are fearless and hungry. They would barge into kitchens and stake out dumps, slaughter livestock, and pounce on unwary townspeople out for a walk. As a result, townspeople killed dozens of problem bears each year.

In the 1970s, however, attitudes began to change. Instead of killing the bears, government officials in 1980 built a "bear jail" to hold the threatening animals until the bay's ice was ready to hold them. In 1983, polar bear hunting was outlawed. Town leaders, recognizing that the bears also drew free-spending tourists, organized a bear patrol, featured on POLAR BEAR INVASION, that helps keep the wildlife and tourists safe from each other. The patrol officers still shoot dozens of threatening bears -- but only with sleep-inducing darts, so the bears can be trucked or helicoptered away from town or to a "jail," where they are kept until the bay freezes.

Today, bear watching is a multi-million dollar business, and one of Churchill's economic mainstays. There are bear-watching hotels and special jacked-up vehicles, known as tundra buggies, that take dozens of tourists at a time out in search of bears. A favorite stop on some tours is a sled-dog breeding center, shown on POLAR BEAR INVASION, where the bears seemingly "play" with the powerful dogs.

Such interactions can be deceptive, however. "Remember, the polar bear is one of the world's most powerful predators -- they are unpredictable and EXTREMELY DANGEROUS," a warning pamphlet issued by one tour company reminds visitors. "Under no circumstances approach or try to pet or touch a bear. Keep hands, cameras, and clothing inside vehicles. Keep alert at all times; bears are very good at blending into the landscape and can move VERY FAST. Be especially cautious around mothers with cubs."

Thanks to such precautions, Churchill's bear season typically ends without incident. But there are other concerns. Some researchers worry that global climate change could disrupt the annual cycle, as warming temperatures break up the pack ice earlier in the year. But it's not yet clear if warming is a problem.

In the meantime, the polar bear capital of the world again readies itself for the annual arrival of the massive creatures -- and the modern-age explorers who seek their own adventures on the shores of Hudson Bay.

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